


...And the Moon in Virgo Rising (Fragment)

by Morgan_Dhu



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:20:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morgan_Dhu/pseuds/Morgan_Dhu
Summary: Fragment of a play, written in 1991.





	...And the Moon in Virgo Rising (Fragment)

Working Title: ...And the Moon in Virgo Rising

Cast: 

Mother: (Miriam)  
(archetype of The Great Goddess, masquerading for the past 2000 years as the Virgin Mary, Wife of the Father and Mother of the Son) 

Metamorphosis into The Mother of the Triple Deity. 

An influential artist before her marriage, creative and powerfully feminine, she gave up her career, her place and influence in the world of the arts, and her independence to marry. Since her marriage, she has been a devoted mother to both children, respecting the limits placed on her parenthood by her husband, but becoming increasingly frustrated. She has sublimated her "godhead" in good works, being a hostess and behind the scenes intermediary for all sorts of people who wish to reach her husband. She still paints, small controlled canvases that contain only hints of the power of her earlier work. 

Father: (Eldon)  
(archetype of God the Father of the patriarchs and early Christians.) 

Self-made and extremely successful businessman. Narrow minded, with very clear and restricted ideas about who his wife, son, and daughter should be, and how they should behave. He is very proud of his accomplishments, and of his son. His story is, in a nutshell, that of a man who came to the big town from the boonies, determined to make his fortune, met two very talented and sophisticated sisters, married one and hired the other, built an enormous fortune, and now is preparing to retire and hand it all over to his son. The only blot on his life is his rebellious daughter. 

Aunt Sophie:  
(Archetype of the Holy Spirit, Sophia Sancta) 

Metamorphosis into The Wise Woman 

Miriam's sister, has always been scholarly and analytical in inclination. Worked for Eldon for many years as his executive assistant, but there is a clear undertone that (1) she is subservient, and (2) her mind is visible to him, and acceptable, only because she is not at all attractive. He often teases her about being an old maid. Of late, she has retired and spends her time reading old books of philosophy. She often comes out with odd comments, and there may be a suggestion of incipient Alzheimers. She is the comic relief character for most of the play. 

Josh:  
(Archetype of Jesus Christ) 

Eldon and Miriam's son, Eldon's junior business partner. He was away at college when his sister left home, but joined the firm on graduation. Worked briefly in the factory, to gain knowledge of the firm from the inside out, but was moved quickly into management. Where Eldon is all drive, ambition, and discipline, Josh is motivated by gentler concerns. (He is his mother's son too, although he doesn't really know it). He deals well with people, is a negotiator, but keeps his kinder side firmly within the guidelines set down by his father. He adores his father, and believes that Daddy can do no wrong. This can leave him in severe predicaments when his basic instincts towards compassion conflict with his father's stern requirements and regulations. 

Vira: age 25  
(Archetype of humanity) 

Passionate, impetuous, vibrant, quarrelsome, independent, inquisitive, by turns cynical and idealistic. Her father kicked her out of the house at the age of 15 for sleeping with a boy he didn't approve of. Since then she's supported herself working in a number of odd jobs. Despite her poverty and lack of stability, she is basically happy with her life. She gets involved with "causes"; has occasional affairs, some good, some bad; she screws up royally sometimes, but usually manages to get through. Five years ago, she ran up a lot of debts, mostly through ignorance or well-meaning mistakes. Unfortunately, her debts were to not nice people, and she was in some danger. Her father sent Josh to "fix" it. He paid her debts, and paid off the people who were hassling her, but he has never let her forget that he "sacrificed himself" for her. She feels alternatively grateful to him, and angry, because she feels that she would have been able to get out of it on her own. Josh used his action to force a "bargain" with her, that because he got her out of this jam, she owed it to him to straighten up and try to become someone that their father could be proud of. She has tried from time to time, but has always found the path her father wants her to walk too oppressive. 

* * *

Scene One: Vira's apartment. A small, rather untidy bed-sitting room in a not-  
so-good part of town. May be represented by a beat-up table with a  
phone and an accumulation of junk on it, and 2 rickety chairs.

Scene two: The family mansion's sitting room. May be represented by a plush sofa and matching love seat (patterned), with armchair of matching colour, footstool, and ornate occasional tables. Some "rich" looking objets d'art on tables. 

At the outset of the play, Eldon has announced his impending retirement from the day-to-day management of the company. Josh is to take over. This is perceived by Eldon as a family celebration, and the perfect time to enforce a reconciliation with Vira. 

* * *

Moon in Virgo Rising

Scene One: 

Vira's apartment. A small, rather untidy bed-sitting room in a not- so-good part of town. May be represented by a beat-up table with a phone and an accumulation of junk on it, and 2 rickety chairs. 

(A phone is ringing. Lights come up on Vera's apartment as Vera dashes on stage. It is obvious that she has been out shopping. She is wearing a light jacket or sweater over a torn T-shirt and jeans or "army-style" pants. Her hair is cut short, almost boyish. There is a waifish air to her. She has a shoulder bag or knapsack thrown over one shoulder, carries a small bag of groceries, and has her keys in her hand. As she reaches the table, she tosses the groceries and her bag onto the table, and grabs the phone, dropping her keys on the floor in the process.) 

VIRA: Hello?... Oh, it's you, Josh. (Vira sits down). Yeah, I'm at home. No, I'm not going out... Yeah, you may as well come over, seeing as you've made the trip down from Olympus ... Well come on, you always act like he's some kind of all-knowing infallible God or something. He's just our father, and not a very good one at that ... Of course you wouldn't agree. You've always been Daddy's little boy ... alright, I'll listen. But don't expect anything. When will you be here ... What? ... You're where? ... right, the cellular phone in the limo - or is it the Lamborghini today? How pretentious can you get, Josh? Most people ... yes, I know, you're not most people ... just come up, Josh. I'm here. 

(Vira puts receiver back on phone, stands up, takes off her jacket, tosses it over the back of her chair, and looks around the room. We sense that her first impulse is to frantically try and straighten up. She does pick up some of the clutter on the table, but then decides "to hell with it", and drops what she's picked up on the floor, messes it up a bit to make it even worse, then sits down, and looks through the junk for a package of cigarettes, an ashtray, and her lighter. The package she finds is empty. She reaches into the grocery bag for a new package, opens it, balls up the cellophane on the table, and takes out a cigarette. She leans back, and lights a cigarette. There is a knock off stage) 

VIRA: Door's open, c'mon in. 

(JOSH ENTERS. He is dressed in casual chic, and carries a paper bag with donuts and two coffees) 

JOSH: Do you always leave your door unlocked? Anyone could just walk in and ... 

VIRA: ... and what? Steal all this? Sometimes I wish someone would. It'd be a lot easier than cleaning it up. 

JOSH: It's not a joke, Vira. This is not a good neighbourhood, and you don't know who might be hanging around. You could get hurt ... or worse. 

VIRA: I can take care of myself. 

JOSH: Oh really? That's hardly the impression I have... 

VIRA: Can it, Josh. If all you came here to do is criticize me, I don't want to hear it. Besides, I've probably heard it all before. 

JOSH: OK. If you insist. It's just that... I worry about you, kid. You know that. 

VIRA: Don't go maudlin on me, now.


End file.
